The aim of the study was to determine the effect of butyrate infusion into the rumen on butyrate flow to the duodenum, expression of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) transporters (monocarboxylate transporter-1, -2, and -4) and receptors (G protein coupled receptor-41 and -43) in the duodenal epithelium and nutrient digestion in sheep. Eight wethers (39.0 ± 3.00 kg; mean ± SD) with ruminal and T-shape duodenal cannulas were allocated to 4 × 4 replicated Latin square design with each experimental period lasting for 21 d (12 d of adaptation and 9 d for data and sample collection). Experimental treatments were: 1) distilled water infusion into the rumen (CONT); 2) 15 g/d of butyric acid infusion into the rumen (BUT15); 3) 30 g/d of butyric acid infusion into the rumen (BUT30); and 4) 45 g/d of butyric acid infusion into the rumen (BUT45). The daily dose of butyrate was infused into the rumen via the rumen cannula, with 200 mL of solution of butyric acid and distilled water, at a constant rate (0.1389 mL/min) throughout the day using a peristaltic pump. Correspondingly, 200 mL/d of distilled water was infused into the rumen of CONT. The wethers were fed daily 900 g of chopped meadow hay and 200 g of concentrate in two equal meals at 0600 and 1800 h. Butyrate infusion into the rumen did not affect total SCFA concentration in the rumen fluid ( > 0.11). Molar proportion of butyrate in total SCFA linearly increased, and molar proportion of acetate and isovalerate linearly decreased ( ≤ 0.02) with an increasing amount of butyrate infused into the rumen. The molar proportion of butyrate in total SCFA in the duodenal digesta linearly increased ( < 0.01), and butyrate flow to duodenum tended to linearly increase ( = 0.06) with an increasing dose of exogenous butyrate delivered to the rumen. Butyrate infusion into the rumen did not affect ( ≥ 0.14) the mRNA expression of monocarboxylate transporter-2 and -4 and G protein coupled receptor-43 in the duodenal epithelium. The G protein coupled receptor-41 and monocarboxylate transporter-1 mRNA expression in the duodenal epithelium was very low in many of the analyzed samples. Digestibility of organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber in the stomach (forestomach and abomasum) decreased for BUT15 and BUT30 and then increased for BUT45 (quadratic, ≤ 0.04); however, neither digestibility in the intestine nor total tract digestibility differed between treatments ( ≥ 0.10).

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The fat content in the bone marrow of the limbs was taken as a criterion of condition. Important differences were found in the age structure of red deer killed by wolves and lynxes. All the animals killed by the latter were fawns had been bitten to death in February and March, whereas they formed 29% of the wolf's diet in December and January, and 49% in February and March. The average age of adult animals killed by wolves in those two parts of the winter season was similar and was respectively 4.8 and 4.4 years. Hinds formed 61% of the adults killed, the remainder, 39%, being stags. The studies showed that the condition of animals killed by wolves and lynxes differed greatly. As many as 82% of the fawns killed by lynxes were weak animals with up to 20% of fat in the femoral bone marrow, whereas they formed only 33% of the wolf's diet, while physically strong fawns with fat content of 80-100% formed the same percentage.

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Summary The sympatho‐adrenal and pituitary‐adrenal cortex axes are the most sensitive, and specific indicators of stress in animals. Increased plasma levels of catecholamines and glucocorticoids are generally considered as the classical response to stress. Most experiments on immobilization have been performed on rats and only a few of them concerned domestic animals. In this experiment we want to learn whether short‐term restraint ‐ a stressor most commonly used in animal husbandry ‐ is a stressor for sheep (ewes) like in rats. For this reason we measured adrenaline (A), noradrenaline (NA) (radioenzymatic method), cortisol (RIA method), glucose and free fatty acids (FFA). Unlike in rats, in stressed sheep the peak of A appeared earlier than the NA peak, i.e. at 2 and 5 min. of stress, respectively. In contrast to rats, the basal and stress levels of NA exceeded the corresponding level of A. Cortisol concentration rose 7 fold above baseline and maximal concentration appeared at a time (15–30 min.) observed in other animal species. A similar time‐related increase was observed in the plasma FFA concentration. It increased maximally 3.2 fold at 15 min. of stress. A significant correlation coefficient was found between plasma cortisol and FFA (r = 0.91) what may suggest the lipolytic effect of ACTH and/or a positive feedback of FFA on the hypophysis‐adrenal axis. The plasma glucose of stressed animals rose only 1.47 fold above the basal level. A significant correlation was found between cortisol and glucose (r = 0.53) whereas no correlations have been obtained between A, NA and glucose or FFA. The control levels of all analyzed hormones, FFA and glucose did not change significantly throughout the experiment, thereby excluding the possible effect of handling on the results.